The monstrosity of a football venue seems perfect for Georgia quarterbacks making their first big-time SEC starts on the road.

Four years after David Greene made his first SEC road start andpushed the Bulldogs to their first win at Tennessee since 1980, D.J. Shockley overcame a pair of crucial miscues in the second half, threw for 207 yards and propelled the Bulldogs to a 27-14 victory, their third straight road victory over the Volunteers.

Like Shockley said, not many teams can claim that.

"I tried to make plays when I could," he said. "It didn't work out a couple of times, but it did in other situations."

For the most part, Shockley was effective and consistent for the first half and much of the third quarter. But it quickly turned disastrous with 45 seconds left in the third quarter when Jonathan Wade jumped a quick out-route intended for Mohamed Massaquoi, gobbled up Shockley's lone interception and returned it to the 1, setting up Tennessee's first score.

Shockley was unfazed, though.

On the Bulldogs' first play after the interception, Shockley took a five-step drop, released and hit redshirt freshman Kenneth Harris for a 32-yard strike in the middle of the field between two defenders. Shockley was surprised at the play call.

He wasn't surprised by the result.

"That call showed the confidence that coach (Mark) Richt has in me," Shockley said. "He knows I have a short-term memory and I don't really get down on stuff like that. I threw it to him and he made a good play on it."

Said Richt: "Shockley, thankfully, was well protected and Kenneth made a great catch.

Shockley's problems weren't over yet, though.

With Georgia driving inside Tennessee territory to start the fourth quarter, Shockley took a delayed quarterback draw and streamed through the middle of the line of scrimmage. He ran about 11 yards before Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona lunged at Shockley and swatted just enough of the ball to jar it loose. Shockley's fumble dribbled into the hands of cornerback Inquoris Johnson at the Tennessee 17-yard line.

"There was no flinching by Shockley," Richt said. "He really did a great job in some stressful situations."

He fumbled and didn't have a run longer than 14 yards, but Shockley's threat to run kept the Volunteers' defense in limbo. Shockley finished with 11 carries for 51 yards and left Tennessee's highly-rated rush defense bewildered.

"It was a certain situation where they didn't want me to run as much," Shockley said. "There were times when I'd be in the pocket, and it was supposed to be a pass, and I'd take off. It opened up holes for our passing game because sometimes they had to blitz guys or spy guys to make sure I didn't run."